dave_j

One of the main themes of Orwell's 1984 was the observation that the population was continually repressed by fear. Fear of enemies in the never ending wars and the love-hate fear of Big Brother.
So today we hear that Belgium is in lockdown and this follows a France that is still under a 3 month extended State of Emergency.
And what are these actions aimed at preventing? What they are doing is spreading an alarm that is out of all proportion to the current attacks.
During WW2, I believe both buses and tubes kept running and schools in London remained open even during daylight attacks by V2s and V1s.
Now I'm not seeking to downplay the threat, but I wonder how many extra deaths will occur on the more crowded roads with public transport crippled.
Thousands die in traffic accidents but we don't ban use of the motor car.
Reacting to attacks is to be expected, but I wonder whether extending these initial emergency actions isn't more about protecting the backsides of politicians than reacting to the threat in a more rational manner.
Our parents were made of sterner stuff and had their feet more firmly planted on the ground.

JamesM

Yup.

We'll see how long it lasts.

There was a lot of caution after 7/7 but Britain settled back down.

There is a more committed enemy at the moment and it will test the world's democracies for sure.

BristolUK

I wouldn't be so sure. It seems to me that Parisians and Belgians are very much in defiance mode.
It's a bit of a different situation though. Far be it from me to borrow from Thatcher but there is an enemy within isn't there. A very well armed enemy.

It's the presence of all those weapons and explosives along with the unknown whereabouts of those prepared to use them in the way they were used a week ago, along with intel, that have drawn these precautions.

BristolUK

Different country but same circumstances

Terrorists 'planned to detonate three bombs inside German stadium'

Oakvillian

Fear not - Thatcher was herself borrowing from Bobby Kennedy, who wrote a book with this title, about the Congressional inquiry into dodgy practices in the Teamsters union in the late 50s. Thatcher's appropriation of this particular phrase with reference to her anti-union rhetoric was absolutely deliberate.

BristolUK

Ooh, it's almost biblical. You haven't been watching cinema advertising have you?

Oakvillian

No, but I did spend a positively unhealthy amount of time in a church over the weekend - I sang in three performances of Handel's 'Messiah,' I guess the language rubs off...

Actually, one of the arias is rather apposite in the current climate of manhunts in Belgium, declarations of war by French presidents, and inflated rhetoric of fear and hatred by GOP nomination candidates in the States. "Why do the nations so furiously rage together?" asks the soloist, "and why do the people imagine a vain thing?"

That particular lyric is, apparently, from the beginning of the book of Psalms, written around 1000BC.

Novocastrian

Did you ever actually read that book?

The main theme was the dumbing down of the Air Strip One population by language degradation, intrusive surveillance and false propaganda.

It actually happened a long time before 1984, but George Orwell was a Socialist, so he must have been a fool.

scot47

We live in the Age of Fahrenheit 451. The people do not read books. Minitru does not want us to read books. Law-abiding citizens seek entertainment and information from the Visiscreen. Our benevolent Governemant is looking after us all. The war with Eastasia is proceeding well.

Novocastrian

No, that's wrong too. Vonnegut's superb novel was focussed on destroying culture in a Dystopian future. It's not today frowned upon if you read a book.

Both Orwell and Vonnegut failed to anticipate the Internet.

(Unsurprisingly, but if you think about it, in opposite ways).

Hawkmoon77

Maybe I'm missing something here, but Fahrenheit 451 was Ray Bradbury. (And a song by Hawkwind )

Vonnegut was Slaughterhouse 5 etc.

Novocastrian

Oops. It's late where I am. Sorry..

Shard

I don't agree with your final sentence, there was far less information flow in those days, and as Bristol pointed out no enemy from within. The threat was ariel bombardment, and for those that lived in London, Coventry and other affected towns, their was not a huge amount of choice in what to do.

However, I would agree that there is something a bit MiniLove about how, in anticipation of Cameron's plan to call for Syrian air strikes, the media is full of stories of imminent danger, including rogue nuclear devices. Its all starting to sound a bit 2002.

As to Novo's comment about Orwell not anticipating the Internet, bollocks, he practically implanted the idea in Sir Tim's head!

Cyan

The Orwellian dystopia portrayed in '1984' is a decent analogy to the situation today, but I also see elements of 'Children of Men' and 'V for Vendetta' in how media messages are tightly controlled in pushing the agenda of the military-industrial elites.

Pollyana

Briefly OT as a fellow Hawkwind lover - is your username from Moorcock? Back in the 80s at college, early days of the net, my username was Yisselda and my OH was Hawkmoon!